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Discussion
FVK Bandit as a slope soarer
Just thought i'd share this as it's surpassed all my expectations for sheer bang for buck. When I think of how much time and money the Bandit cost me vs fun, nothing in my hanger comes close. Most people will know of the Bandit as a hotliner but I also noticed that FVK sell a slope soaring version so I thought i'd give it a go since it ticked a lot of boxes for my interests.
Some qualities of the model from a slope soaring perspective:
My main worry with the bandit was landing in tight spaces but this hasn't been a problem - at first, it would just float past as I brought it around for landing but the spoilerons are very effective at killing the lift. Just before you get to your landing spot, activate the spoilerons and you're down - a little different to crow brakes but it works well when you get the hang of it. I was also worried about possible tip stalling from the days of people loading it up with a motor, gearbox and 10 sub c cells. As a slope soarer I can say this is not a problem at all. The flying experience can be enhanced with a simple Lemon RX stabiliser/gyro. You really don't need this but with it the Bandit tracks as well as my 3.2m K2 with the gyro on and landings are even easier; as you bring the model around for the final approach the gyro keeps the model locked on track and greatly reduces the effects of any turbulence or rotor behind the edge of the slope. |
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Last edited by cheekykev; Apr 15, 2017 at 12:05 PM.
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Thread OP
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Straight from FVK, look Brian up on the forum here and he'll sort you out. I almost bought an M60 instead but the Bandit worked out cheaper and only took 4 hrs to build. I almost over looked it just because its an older design.
Rolls like a Dewalt drill, turns in super tight spaces where needed, inverted needs just a little down and fly's in wide range of wind. Just my opinion but i find smaller models are often more fun than 2meter + ships provided they track well and retain energy which the Bandit does. The finish is faultless and is built tough as nails with carbon added around the wing saddle and canopy area. http://www.fvk.de/Englisch/Bandit.html |
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Last edited by cheekykev; Apr 15, 2017 at 11:47 AM.
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I flew mine on the slope some years ago. Good fun. I just molded a nose of lead, taped in place of the spinner.
I lost it when I had to walk 50meters to the landing area. Had to watch my step, and when I looked up again, I could not find it. A few seconds later, there was a whistling sound, and it hit vertically, a few meters in front of me. The wing survived, and the fuse will possibly be used as a plug, somewhere in the future. Lars |
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I learned a similar lesson two weeks ago with a radian, took my eye off it for a few seconds to sort out my two young boys who were fighting and never saw it again. First model I've actually lost!
I wish FVK did the Kamelot with a slope soaring fus..... hint hint. |
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Fvk
Are FVK still in business?
I've not been able to reach Brian for a while in the UK. Paul UK. |
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That's strange Brian is normally quick to respond and super helpful. Try Jiri directly: Jiri.Kukulj@t-online.de
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Managed to get a hold of Jiri thanks Kevin.
I suspect I have Brians old email address..... Cheers Paul. |
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Cheekykev:
A few years ago user "soholingo" (who made lots of "high performance " thread posts) "group ordered" FVK Bandit models. I purchased a Bandiit from such a group order, then set it up as a warm liner and flew the crap out of it at the slope. I thought the Bandit performed superbly as a front side slope toy. But I did wish it had flaps during some landing situations. Fly safe, Glover PS I am in the process of building a Valenta Models Destiny (very similar to the Bandit). The Destiny also lacks flaps, but I am adding those during this build. So far that project is going well. (A dozen or so years ago a Destiny was my first composite toy, and my only serious complaint was the lack of flaps. But now as a more experienced modeler, adding flaps is no long a daunting task.) |
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Thread OP
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With the bandit just program in about 8mm of spoilerons and have that on a switch.
You can lose height and speed by zig zaging your approach and then activate the spoilerons once you're above your landing area. At first I to found it nerve racking to land but now I find it as easy as my flapped gliders that have crow. I used to love reading the soholingo threads when he was around. Shame he dropped off the scene as his threads were pure pop corn! If you like Valenta models save up and get an espresso, it will do everything your destiny can do and much more. First time I flew it in big air and dialled in the setup my jaw dropped, made my bandit look like a kids toy! Energy retention, acceleration, speed and stability are all much better. One great thing about the bandit though is it's resilience. I've crashed it several times and all that breaks is wing bolts. |
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